Are Morphological or Functional Changes in the Carotid Artery Wall Associated With Chlamydia pneumoniae, Helicobacter pylori, Cytomegalovirus, or Herpes Simplex Virus Infection?

Background and Purpose —Chronic infection with Chlamydia pneumoniae , Helicobacter pylori , cytomegalovirus (CMV), and herpes simplex virus (HSV) has been implicated in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. The carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) can be taken to indicate early atherosclerosis, the presence of a carotid stenosis is a marker of a manifest carotid atherosclerosis, and an increase in arterial stiffness is used as marker of structural and functional changes in an atherosclerotic vessel wall. Methods —In 504 patients (75% men; mean age 62.9 [SD 10] years), we measured the IMT and the elastic pressure modulus (EP; n=445) of the common carotid artery and the prevalence of a intern…